The Haunted Show Must Go On
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: Miranda and the Ghoul Girls are performing a Halloween concert at the Firefly Theater. But when the instruments go missing, Miranda and the Ghoul Girls face their fears to save the show.


**Happy Halloween, everyone! Enjoy this Halloween story I wrote inspired by A****ndrew Lloyd Webber's version of 'The Phantom of the Opera'.**

* * *

It was Halloween night and Miranda was eager to visit her favorite little vampire. Miranda, dressed as a mad scientist, arrived at the Scare B&B and rung the screaming doorbell.

The door opened and Miranda was surprised to see Vampirina, Poppy, and Bridget in their Ghoul Girl band outfits.

"Hey, guys! Happy Halloween!" Miranda greeted. She let out a mad scientist laugh.

"Happy Halloween, Miranda!" Vampirina took in Miranda's costume. She wore a lab coat, goggles, black gloves, and a green wig with hair that stuck out everywhere like she was electrocuted. "I love your costume! It's spooktacular!"

"And the laugh was a nice touch!" Poppy complimented.

"Y-Yeah! Very spooky!" said Bridget, who was hiding behind Poppy.

"Thanks! I've always wanted to dress as a mad scientist!" Miranda shrugged. "I don't know why. So, you guys ready to go trick-or-treating as the coolest band in Pennsylvania?"

Poppy shook her head. "No, Miranda. We're dressed as the Ghoul Girls because we're playing a Halloween concert at the Firefly Theater!"

"The Firefly Theater?" Miranda blinked. "Oh! That's great! Congratulations!"

"Yeah! This is part one of your surprise!" said Vampirina.

"Part one? What's part two?"

The Ghoul Girls giggled amongst themselves as Vampirina gave her babysitter a little black box. Miranda opened it and she gasped in shock and awe. She reached into the box and took out a silver bat-shaped pin that read: Band Manager.

"Band...manager?!" Miranda said in disbelief.

"We thought long and hard about this, Miranda. But we decided to make you a part of the Ghoul Girls somehow." said Vampirina. "We know how you always look out for us and take good care of us. You're a fangtastic babysitter, so we wanted to appoint you as the band's babysitter!"

Miranda stared at the pin. She held it close to her heart as a tear came to her eye. "Oh, you guys are the best." She pinned the gift to her lab coat. "This is the best gift I've ever had." She hugged the three girls. "Thank you very, very much."

"You're welcome." said Vampirina.

Miranda stood up and proudly put her hands on her hips. "Okay, Ghoul Girls! As band manager, I say our first order of business...is to give Pennsylvania the coolest Halloween concert ever!"

"YEAH!" The Ghoul Girls cheered.

* * *

At the Firefly Theater, people were in line to watch the Ghoul Girls perform. Miranda walked into the theater and took in the sights. "Wow! I've never been inside this place before! It's amazing!" Her eyes traveled to the spooky portraits of performers on the wall. "And spooky too..."

"If you think those pictures are spooky, wait until you see what's backstage!" said Poppy.

"What? A Weekly Weirdness fan club?" Miranda joked.

"Miranda! There's nothing wrong with my brother's web show!" Poppy reprimanded. The girls went backstage. Miranda saw an old piano, stage props, and a rack of costumes and wigs.

"So, what's the spooky surprise, guys?" Miranda asked her friends.

_"Eeeeeeeee! Woooooooo! Ohhhhhhhhh!"_

Miranda stiffened as she heard ghostly moaning echoing around her. She broke out in a cold sweat as she felt the air growing cold.

Suddenly, a blue mist appeared before Miranda and formed into a portly, transparent, mustachioed man. He was dressed like he stepped out of a Shakespearean play.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh! Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!" the ghost wailed in the most spine-chilling voice.

"AAAAHHHHH! A GHOST!" Miranda screamed and flinched away.

"It's okay, Miranda! He's a friendly ghost!" said Vampirina. "This is Sir Ghoulgood. The Firefly Theater is his home."

Miranda managed to calm down and stop shivering. "Y-You mean...the Firefly Theater is really haunted?!"

"Indeed, it is!" Sir Ghoulgood politely bowed to Miranda. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Miranda."

"Wow...it's nice to meet you too!" Miranda breathed in awe. "Wow! So your house isn't the only haunted place in town, Vee!"

"Yeah, who knew?" Vampirina shrugged.

"So, Lady Miranda, do you love the theater as much as we do?" asked Sir Ghoulgood.

Miranda was quiet for a moment. "Oh, yeah! I love the theater! Can't get enough of it! So, you girls ready to rock this joint?"

"You bet your bat-tails we are!" Vampirina strummed her spookylele. She looked behind the curtain. "Look! There's some monsters in the audience too!"

"What?!" Miranda and the rest of the Ghoul Girls looked outside and saw witches, mummies, skeletons, and zombies. A crowd of skeletons was holding up a black banner that read: GHOUL GIRLS ROCK! in big pink letters. Since it was Halloween, no humans suspected they were in a theater with real monsters. Most of the humans were wearing Halloween costumes anyway!

"Wow! Looks like some fans from Transylvania came to see the show!" said Poppy. "Look! I can see Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein!"

"They came to see us too?!" said Bridget. "Whoa! I never thought we had so many fans!"

"I don't blame them! You guys are coolest band in town!" said Miranda. "Now, let's get this show on the road and give the people what they want!"

* * *

The Ghoul Girls were getting their equipment. Miranda watched her friends excited to perform. Miranda noticed a keyboard among the instruments. "Someone is playing the keyboard?"

"I will be playing the keyboard!" Sir Ghoulgood announced as he appeared beside Miranda, startling her. "Ah, there's no feeling in the world like the joy of performing! Don't you agree, m'lady?"

Miranda appeared hesitant to answer. Before she could answer, the Ghoul Girls ran to Miranda and they looked distressed.

"Miranda!" Poppy screamed. "Have you seen my drumsticks? I can't find them!"

"And I can't find my guitar!" said Bridget.

"And my spookylele is gone too!" said Vampirina.

"Okay! Everyone calm down!" Miranda told her friends. "I'm sure your stuff is around here somewhere! Sir Ghoulgood, take the girls around the stage to find their stuff! I'll look backstage!"

"But the show is about to start! We don't have much time!" said Poppy.

"Lady Miranda, might I suggest you entertain the crowd while we find the missing instruments?" Sir Ghoulgood asked.

To their surprise, Miranda started to turn white. She trembled as she backed away slowly. "Y-You mean...y-y-you want me to perform...on stage?!"

"Yeah...?" Vampirina noticed how frightened Miranda looked. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I...I...I..." Miranda started to sweat. She felt like she was about to explode...so she did. "I HATE PERFORMING ON STAGE! I GET TERRIFIED WHEN I GO ANYWHERE NEAR THE MIDDLE OF THE STAGE! THERE! I SAID IT!"

The four friends stood there dumbfounded as Miranda collected her breath. Sir Ghoulgood was crushed. "B-But you said-"

"I know what I said!" Miranda retorted. "I lied!" She sighed. "The first time I ever performed was my fourth grade play. We were doing 'Phantom of the Opera' and I was excited when I got the role of Christine."

"But what happened?" asked Bridget.

"Well, I was going to perform my big number. I was standing with the spotlight right on me, ready to sing when all of a sudden, the trap door opened and I fell beneath the stage!" Miranda raised her fist. "Apparently someone thought it would be a funny joke to see me almost fall to my death! So, I made a promise to myself I'll never set foot on a stage again!"

"But Miranda! You have to get on that stage! We need you!" Vampirina pleaded.

"And I will help you on stage!" Sir Ghoulgood declared. "But we're going to need some more help! Monstrous help!"

Vampirina gasped. "That's it! I have an idea!"

* * *

The show was about to begin. Behind the curtains, Miranda was wearing a different costume. She traded her lab coat for a flowing white lace dress with long bell sleeves. Her green wig was removed and her natural brown hair was cascaded down her back.

"Are you ready to do this, Lady Miranda?" asked Sir Ghoulgood. He wore a black suit, a black cape, and the cherry on top, a Phantom of the Opera mask.

Miranda shook her head. "No, but Vee and the girls are counting on me. And I can't let them down."

"Fear not, m'lady. Remember, you are amongst friends in this theater." The ghostly actor said with true understanding in his voice. He flew off to take his place.

Miranda knew very well that the ghost was right. She was among friends. The Ghoul Girls, Sir Ghoulgood, and the monster fans. She took a deep breath and stepped forward to take center stage.

The crowd applauded as they saw a beautiful girl glide to the microphone. Miranda was nervous, the bad memories started to haunt her. But thinking back on Sir Ghoulgood's words, Miranda managed to smile for the audience. "Good evening." Miranda said into the microphone. "Happy Halloween and welcome to the Firefly Theater!"

The audience clapped and whistled. As they cheered, Miranda began to feel better. "The Ghoul Girls will perform shortly. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this opening act of the classic song, 'The Phantom of the Opera.'" Miranda politely bowed and returned behind the curtains as the audience clapped.

A few minutes later, chilling organ began to play and the curtains opened. Everyone watched in awe as Miranda stood in the middle of the stage with a single spotlight over her. She opened her mouth and sang.

_"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came._

_That voice which calls to me and speaks my name._

_And do I dream again? For now I find..._

_The Phantom of the Opera is there_

_Inside my mind."_

Everyone was captivated by Miranda's voice. Another spotlight shined in the right corner of the theater where Sir Ghoulgood was floating. The ghost glided down to the stage as he sang his part.

_"Sing once again with me._

_Our strange duet._

_My power over you_

_Grows stronger yet._

_And though you turn from me_

_To glance behind._

_The phantom of the opera is here_

_Inside your mind."_

* * *

Outside the theater, in a dark alley, Miranda's school bullies, Jennifer and Aaron, had Poppy's drumsticks, Bridget's guitar, and Vampirina's spookylele. "See? I told you it was easy stealing from those Ghoul Geeks." said Jennifer.

"So, what now?" asked Aaron.

"Duh! We take them to the pawn shop and see how much they're worth! Easy money!" Jennifer said. "Now, let's get out of here before-"

"Someone finds you?"

Jennifer and Aaron spun around to see the Ghoul Girls blocking their only escape out the alley. "I can't believe you stole our instruments!" said Vampirina.

Jennifer and Aaron looked at the three girls looking tough and strong. Then they all let out a big laugh. "Yeah? So what if we stole your stuff?" Jennifer scoffed as she walked toward the Ghoul Girls. "We're big kids. We can do whatever we want. You're the little kids. You still have to be bossed around by your parents and go to bed early instead of playing a concert. You guys think you're so special but you're so not."

"Never mind us." Vampirina narrowed her eyes. "You shouldn't be doing bad things like this, Jennifer. It'll haunt you in the end."

"Oooh! I'm so scared!" Jennifer said with a mean-spirited laugh.

"GYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Jennier suddenly heard Aaron screaming. She spun around in time to see her boyfriend run right past her and leave out of the alley terrified. "What the-?!"

**BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM**

Loud footsteps shook the ground as two people emerged from the shadows. It was Frankenstein and his bride. The monstrous couple loomed over Jennifer, glaring at her.

Jennifer looked shocked, but she let out a scoff instead of a scream. "Don't tell me you losers scared off Aaron?"

Frankenstein crossed his big arms. "And we'll be more than happy ro return what you stole, young lady."

Jennifer's hand flew to her back pocket and she pulled out a small handle. A sharp blade flipped out of the handle. It was a pocket knife. "Not unless you want to get peeled out of those monster suits." she threatened.

The monsters didn't even flinch. The bride of Frankenstein grabbed Jennifer's wrist like a bear trap and squeezed it. Jennifer screamed in pain as she dropped the knife and Frankenstein picked it up. The monster released Jennifer and the human fell to her knees. Jennifer held her sore wrist, it felt like it was slammed in a car door. She looked up and saw Frankenstein with the knife.

Frankenstein held the handle and effortlessly snapped the blade off with his thumb. Jennifer gasped as she watched the blade fall to the ground. Frankenstein stomped on the blade, the stomp felt like a bomb went off.

Jennifer screamed as she fearfully scrambled away. When the monster lifted up his foot, the blade was nothing but a small pile of metal shards in a crater Frankenstein made with his foot.

Frankenstein and his bride growled as they reached for Jennifer with their ghoulish green hands. Sparks wildly flew off their neck bolts.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Jennifer shrieked. She ran out of the alley, not even thinking about looking back.

Vampirina clapped for her monster friends. "Great scare, you guys!"

"Thank you, Vampirina." Frankenstein said, taking a bow with his wife. "Nothing like a good scare on Halloween. Right, Honey?" He kissed his wife's cheek.

"You said it, Sweetie." The bride kissed her hubby back. "And we got your instruments back safe and sound."

"Great! Now, let's go! We've got a show to put on!" said Vampirina.

* * *

When Vampirina and her friends got to the stage, they were surprised to see Miranda and Sir Ghoulgood take a bow in front of the audience. They erupted with cheers and applause.

Poppy smiled. "Looks like Miranda has everything under control."

"Of course she does." said Vampirina, smiling. "She's our manager after all."

Miranda took a quick look to the side and saw the Ghoul Girls with their instruments! When her vampire friend gave Miranda a thumbs up and headed backstage, Miranda knew what to do. Smiling, Miranda turned her attention back to the adoring crowd. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! And now, just as we promised, your Halloween treat of all treats, the Ghoul Girls!"

Miranda and Sir Ghoulgood left the stage as the curtains rolled open. The crows cheered as the spotlight hit Vampirina, Poppy and Bridget. Once Poppy tapped her drumsticks together and the music played, the entire firefly theater was in full Halloween swing.

* * *

Once the concert ended, Miranda, the Ghoul Girls, Sir Ghoulgood, and the Franken-couple retired to the Scare B&B for some hot chocolate.

"I can't believe how delicious this human hot chocolate is!" Frankenstein said before taking another huge sip.

"I can't believe those awful kids stole your instruments!" said Oxana.

"I believe it." Miranda said. "That's just how Jennifer is. Some people are just born to be haters. It's a part of life. But I'm glad no one got hurt." She laughed a little. "I just wish I could have seen Jennifer and Aaron scared out of their shorts!"

"And I must say, you truly shined on the stage, Lady Miranda!" Sir Ghoulgood praised. "You played your part perfectly!"

Miranda shyly looked away. "Yeah, I guess so. It's kind of surreal, really. How I was able to play the part I never got to perform."

"Well, you kept the audience entertained so we can perform for them!" said Bridget "You're the best band manager ever!"

"I'll drink to that!" Vampirina raised her cup of hot chocolate. Everyone raised their cups. "Here's to Miranda and the Ghoul Girls' Halloween concert success!"

"CHEERS!" Miranda and her friends toasted their hot chocolates to the best Halloween ever.


End file.
